Seven long years
by WinterStorrm
Summary: Arthur and Merlin are both eighteen, and the both of them are still virgins. One night, they're a little drunk, and create a pact to lose their virginities to one another if they haven't lost it by the time they're twenty-five. Modern AU.


**A/N: **The BBC own Merlin (the lucky gits).

**Written for kinkme_merlin prompt: **Arthur and Merlin are both eighteen, and the both of them are still virgins. One night, they're a little drunk, and create a pact to lose their virginities to one another if they haven't lost it by the time they're twenty-five.

This is the 'cleanest' thing I've written since I joined this fandom. Not sure what this says about me as a person but hey ho.

**Seven long years**

Arthur wasn't talking to him, and Merlin had no idea why.

He hated it; _hated_ it. Being apart from Arthur – his _best friend_ - the one person he'd thought would be with him through everything, thick and thin.

They'd fallen out before; despite being inseparable, they often bickered, and one of them would storm off, only to come back as though nothing had happened later, fall back into their usual banter.

Arthur was the first person Merlin had told that he was gay. If anything, that had made their friendship stronger. So now, with Arthur giving him the silent treatment when they hadn't even had an argument; well, it fucking _hurt_.

It was the last week of school; this was it, they were leaving, everyone heading off to various universities...all so depressingly _final_– the whole gang splitting up, nothing would ever be the same again. Not him and Arthur though, they were supposed to be going backpacking around Europe over the summer before heading to Oxford. They were going to be _living together_; only now Merlin didn't even know if that was going to happen anymore. Arthur could have made other plans that didn't include him and Merlin would be the last to find out.

He'd had a-_fucking_-nough now. Six days of this, and without knowing why, it was killing him. Arthur ignored his texts, his notes and his calls; pretended to be out when Merlin knocked on his bedroom door. He was suddenly hanging out with bloody _Valiant_ of all people, like that arsehole was the new Merlin.

Merlin lay in wait in an alcove just down from Arthur's room, and when Arthur finally walked past after dinner – Merlin had skipped the evening meal tonight, this was more important – Merlin stealthily stepped out and followed Arthur back to his room, putting his foot in the door when Arthur was closing it, pushing his way in.

"Arthur, we need to talk," Merlin said, trying to keep the pleading from his voice.

"I think we said it all the other night, don't you?" Arthur, not looking at Merlin, flung himself backwards onto his single bed, arms behind his head, staring blankly at the ceiling. Merlin closed his eyes for a moment to block out how much he wanted to just crawl on top of him and kiss him senseless; nothing to lose now, right?

"Ehm – no? Said _what_ Arthur? I know I'd had a couple of drinks but I wasn't so drunk that I made a pass at you and forgot, or called your father a badger so _what – the – fuck – are – you – on - about?"_ Merlin had in fact only had a couple of beers as he knew he couldn't hold his drink, and with that in mind he never drank much around Arthur, lest he might actually act on his drunken impulses to jump his bones. "_You_ on the other hand, were quite pissed if I recall..?"

"I was _tipsy_ Merlin, _tipsy_!" Arthur argued, like the distinction was of utmost importance.

"Okaaay, you were _tipsy_," repeated Merlin, wanting to tease Arthur at his use of such an old lady word, but not feeling able to as this Arthur, the one who wouldn't look him in the eye, wasn't his friend Arthur, he was some fucking _changeling_ that had taken over his body. "How does that correlate to you not talking to me for six days?"

"You _know_," replied Arthur, and Merlin suppressed a groan.

"Clearly, I don't know, or I wouldn't be asking," he supplied.

Arthur didn't speak, eyes fixed determinedly at the ceiling.

"So this is it?" Merlin whispered. "We've been friends for five years, and our friendship ends like _this_? I don't understand, _what did I do_?"

Arthur turned onto his side, facing away from Merlin.

"Fine," grated Merlin, trying to sound calm, pushing the tears back down. "Fuck you." He took one final look at Arthur's back and went to slam out of the room, desperate to get to his own room and cry his heart out. Then he saw it, on Arthur's desk, the framed photograph of them together; they'd been out hiking on Dartmoor on a school trip, they were rosy cheeked and windswept, Arthur's arm casually slung around Merlin's shoulders, their faces split into happy grins, their eyes on each other – so much _love_.

Merlin stopped in his tracks, his hand on the door knob. "No," he said. "I'm not leaving until you tell me what the problem is. If you've changed your mind about Europe and living with me in Oxford, fine, but I can't just walk out of that door and out of your life without knowing _why_ – so -" Merlin walked to the desk and sat down on the chair, folding his arms and glaring daggers at Arthur's back.

Arthur didn't acknowledge Merlin's presence; the only reason Merlin knew he was listening was because his breathing slowed, like he was waiting for Merlin to say something else. Merlin closed his eyes and took himself back to the previous Thursday and Lance's impromptu 18th birthday party in the boy's common room.

He and Arthur had been huddled up in the corner, as was their habit, they enjoyed people watching, even when said people were their school friends – _especially_ sometimes – like watching Cedric worming his way over to Morgana to make his move, only to throw out the tackiest chat up line ever and finish up wearing his drink, or how Sophia's bra padding fell on the floor as she was trying to flirt with Leon and she had to oh so subtly try to pick it up without him noticing. They really loved that shit.

Arthur had said, "I wonder which of this lot are still virgins?" and Merlin had laughed, and they had gone around the room making their guesses as to who was and wasn't until the only two left were each other.

"I still am," Arthur admitted, just as Merlin confessed the same, and there was an awkward silence as they both looked at each other, Merlin breaking it by taking a swig of his beer and looking away, pretending to watch Lance and Gwen acting all cute over the other side of the room, but really just trying to hide the way his heart had sped up and how much he wanted to kiss Arthur – his fucking _best friend_ – but Arthur liked girls. _Arthur liked girls._ Just knowing that meant Merlin should shove his unrequited love back in its box and leave it there; it had no place in this friendship, none at all.

"We – we could do it together?" said Arthur, so quickly that Merlin almost missed it. "Then we'd no longer be virgins and -"

Merlin's eyes widened. Oh _God_ he wished Arthur wouldn't say things like that. Lately he'd been talking about the future almost as though they _were_ a couple, and it was so unsettling, feeding Merlin's obsession like drug. He forced a laugh, "Yeah, we could – hey – how about if we're both still virgins when we're twenty-five we shag each other? We can make a pact? We can be each other's back up plan."

Arthur picked up the bottle of whisky and took a huge swig. "Yeah," he almost slurred. "Twenty-five – _right_ – back-up plan... Seven years... _absolutely_, yeah, great plan Merlin." Then he'd pushed himself to his feet, patting Merlin on the shoulder, and stumbled to the loo, and after that Merlin hadn't seen him, so he'd assumed he'd carried on to bed; it was the kind of thing Arthur did, got drunk and randomly decided he was tired and took himself to bed without telling anyone.

And that was Arthur and Merlin's last conversation.

"Is this about the virginity pact?" Merlin guessed now, hesitantly, watching Arthur carefully.

"Give the man a fucking cigar," Arthur drawled, turning back over and sitting up, clapping sarcastically. "What the fuck do _you_ think Merlin?"

"So it _is_ about that?" So now he really was confused.

"Oh. My. GOD," said Arthur, his temper getting the better of him. "Merlin, I _can't_ talk to you. Just looking at you fucking _hurts_ right now. Why are you pushing this? Isn't it enough that you rejected me – do you have to keep on trying to make it alright again just to ease your bloody conscience?"

"I _rejected_ you? But -" Oh fuck. _We could do it together_. "You meant it, you meant _now_ didn't you? Arthur I'm -" What, sorry? A fucking _idiot_? Totally blind?

Arthur had gone red, eyes downcast, and Merlin realised then what it must have taken him to say that to him, to open himself up like that, and Merlin had totally fucked it all up. No wonder Arthur didn't want to talk to him; he'd both come out and offered himself up on a bloody plate to Merlin, and Merlin had brushed it aside.

So he did the only thing he could think of to rescue the situation, to get his best friend back, to get _Arthur_ back – he walked over to the bed, perched on the edge, looking down at Arthur's stubbornly set face, his hand giving in to the thousands of times it had wanted to do this, brushing Arthur's fair hair out of his eyes; and when Arthur's breath hitched and his blue eyes flicked up to look at Merlin, confusion and hope reflected within, Merlin smiled, bent his head and pressed his lips against Arthur's.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he rasped when he pulled back, wanting everything to be cleared up before this went any further because this _mattered_ more than anything else ever had.

Arthur licked his lips and pulled himself up into a sitting position, taking Merlin's hand in his and drawing a deep breath, "I didn't realise, I mean I like girls don't I and I thought that must mean I was straight, and when you told me you were gay...the minute the words were out of your mouth I _knew_ that I'd rather be with you than _anyone_ else, but I couldn't just say it then could I? Then the longer I left it...and you had that _thing_ with Mordred, so I just thought you didn't want me anyway so...you're my best friend Merlin, I didn't want to ruin it, and now I have haven't I? I've ruined it all."

Merlin had never heard Arthur so raw and uncertain. He kind of liked it. "So you're hot for me Pendragon?" he smirked, thinking he had to keep it light, not wanting to give Arthur any more reason to fall over the edge.

"Idiot," said Arthur.

"You know, I don't want to wait seven years for you either – until five minutes ago I thought I'd have to wait forever - what say we give it a go now?"

"OK, but I'm on top," Arthur pulled Merlin down and kissed him, and Merlin thought of arguing, but decided he was happy to have Arthur whatever way, and it wasn't like they were going to get it right first time anyway was it?

They would need plenty of practice. Merlin was happy to put the hours in.

**The End.***

_*Unless_ anyone wants the porn, which could be first time porn or porn at twenty-five and reminiscing..?


End file.
